Twist of Fate
by miaou5
Summary: This is for all you taiora fans. Tai and Sora haven't exactly been in touch...they haven't spoken for the last nine years. But then they meet again...(under very curious circumstances too) Now complete and unabridged.
1. Twist of Fate: Part One

a/n: argh. i was trying to add on part six yesterday night when i accidentally deleted part two and had to reload. took me an hour to rearrange my chapters. stupid chaptering system. and i've been having problems with ff.net lately...part six _still _isn't up. oh well. (it'll be up in the next week or so.)  
  
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disclaimer: i don't own anything except the plot. oh wait. ::checks pockets:: i also own thirty-five cents and a coupon for free pantyhose (er...heheh...how did that get in there?). so if you want to sue me, don't.  
  
"twist of fate" is going to be a series. there are six parts...i think. i already have most of them done...just need to finish a little more on part six...  
  
oh and review please? :) :) thanks :) :) :)  
  
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     26-year-old Sora closed her eyes. What a horrible day. Her mind slowly...and torturously...replayed it scene by scene. "Oh shut up," Sora told her brain. It didn't listen.  
  
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    A 26-year-old man stood waiting, a little lonely, for the subway train to pull up. A natural ladies' man, Tai had finally been able to tear himself away from the nightclub where Matt (his best friend) and his band had been playing...but only after about five bottles of beer and dancing with...Tai frowned.  
  
     "It was only twenty-six chicks this time," he realized, and swore under his breath. "Man, I'm losing my touch." The subway train gradually pulled up to the station with a tired squeak, and Tai put his hand in his pocket, reaching for his wallet and the subway pass inside. His hand came back out...empty. He blinked once or twice, then reached into his other one. And another one. And another one. (His pants had a lot of pockets, okay?) He cursed as his hand finally managed to salvage up a weak fistful of loose change. "$1.56, huh?" He cursed again as he stepped up to the train. "Hey, how far can $1.56 take me, sweetie?" The driver, a large, sweating, pigtailed blonde smiled, showing a mouthful of bleached teeth. "$1.56 can take you to Tokyo, darling...but only with a kiss." (Didn't I mention that Tai was a ladies' man?) Tai felt his nose wrinkling with distaste, but quickly flashed a brave grin and pecked the woman on the cheek. "The lips, hun, the lips," she demanded. 'Phew, hasn't she ever heard of deodorant?' he wondered sadly as he bent down to brush her lips with his. The woman finally let him go with a laugh, and left him sitting on worn plastic seat, dreaming of pine-scented air freshener.  
  
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     Tai looked around. There was no one on the train, except for a young, kind of sad-looking woman sitting on his right. Her eyes were closed, and her face wore a sort of strange twisted expression. But he couldn't help noticing that she was attractive. Forget attractive, she was beautiful. Her shapely legs, accentuated by a short striped skirt, stretched far beyond her seat. Her figure was somehow curvy and slender at the same time, and her skin was a light golden brown. The woman's gleaming auburn hair was pulled in a species of twist at the nape of her neck, and even with her eyes closed, she looked...well...fabulous. But Tai was too tired to make up one of the seductive remarks he had been grinding out all night. He fell asleep.  
  
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     Sora, deep in thought, had not hear nor seen Tai come in, sit next to her, then topple over with fatigue. She saw herself waving at a friend twenty hours earlier, smiling, and then walking straght into a wall. Her pantyhose had tore. She had rushed to the nearest restroom, hopped in a stall, and had just peeled off her stockings when she had become aware of a smell not dissimilar to the cows on her Uncle Ed's farm. She did a double take, gasped for air, and peered (for heaven knows what reason, she now shuddered) into the toilet. Somehow had forgot to flush all right. Sora mentally kicked herself for what happened next. She had tried in vain to flush those vile things down, and the toilet had overflowed. "Oh no!" she had yelped, and had ran to avoid suspicion. Too late. She had charged smack into a janitor and landed rear-end first on the wet linoleum floor. "Why, what's the matter, my dear," the janitor-lady (ironically wearing an all-too-perky nametag screaming, "Hi! My name is Janet!"...a/n: um..you know...janitor...janet...heheh..never mind) had asked. "Uhhhh...." Sora stammered. "And my, what in the world is that smell?" the lady continued. Sora had, at this point, madly sprinted in a futile mission to escape. "Come back here, lady!" she had heard the janitor scream a few seconds later. "Hit-and-run!!"  
  
     Sora had spent the next three hours of her day phoning her lawyer and filling release forms that restrained her from using any public restrooms for the next 36 months. The woman had, at this point, missed a whole day at work. Her boss had called her cell. "SORA!!!!" he had screamed. Sora had yelped, jumped, and dropped her cell phone down a nearby gutter. 'Thirty dollars a month down the drain...literally,' the woman thought sadly in despair. And this brings us to the present...  
  
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     "Aiyeee!!!!" The woman next to Tai had given a frustrated scream, and brought her fist down on the seat to her left, a seat she assumed to be empty. But apparently someone, a man, had snuck into the seat when she wasn't watching, and was lying there, peacefully asleep. Even more unfortunately, Sora had brought her fist down on a very inconvenient spot...err..*harumph*...you know...the very..er..delicate place between a guy's legs..*cough cough*  
  
     Sora had never, ever, in her whole entire life, seen a man jump so high. But jump Tai did, and let out a truly heartrenching howl of pain.  
  
     "Oh my lord! I didn't mean to..oh no...please...don't bang your head against the window..."  
  
     Apparently Tai wasn't listening, but after several frantic moments of screaming and head-banging he finally calmed down enough to give a small squeak of pain and then topple over...backwards.  
  
     "Oh please wake up! Look, I didn't know you were sitting there or else...please..." Sora stopped midsentence. Oh no! She had killed him! The poor man..."Um, look...heheh...I know this isn't a good time to mention this, but I've already got sort of a criminal record (courtesy of that volatile toilet, she thought bitterly) and if you're dead then I guess you could say that I would be..um.." Sora faltered as words began to fail her. Her eyes began to water for the first time that miserable day. "You idiot, just get up!" she shrieked in his ear. "I thought I'd been having the worst day of my life...but congrats...you've just MADE IT WORSE!!" The windows shook.  
  
     Suddenly...Tai raised an eyebrow. Sora gasped. "Oh thank you!" she cried rapturously. "You're alive...oh thank you so much...um...look...sorry about that..er..karate chop...I did back there. I would kinda like to, well you know, make it up to you and stuff. Um...hey! How about a late-night snack?"  
  
     But Tai wasn't listening. He was staring up at the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen (a/n: I _know_ it's corny...but I'm the author so you guys all shush). He remembered a stain ruby pendant that his mom used to wear...this girl's eyes were (gasp!) the _exact same color_, only brighter and warmer and swirling with human emotions. He choked a little. "S-sure, if that's what you want babe." He gave her a charmingly cocky grin. "Great!" Sora replied. And smiled.  
  
     But this romantic moment was spoiled by the blonde-haired pig sitting in the driver's seat. "LAST STOP! TOKYO!!" she roared. Sora gave a small jump, then turned back to Tai. "_Come on!_" "Okay, okay, I'm coming..."  
  
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     "You can actually afford this kind of place?"  
  
     "My job isn't too bad," Sora had vaguely replied. "So, uh, what's your name?"  
  
     "Tai. Tai Kamiya." Tai threw her another grin. Suddenly he became worried. The girl's eyebrows had drawn together, and a small frown was pulling at her pretty face. He was startled when she gave a sudden snap.  
  
     "Tai! I can't believe I didn't recognize you earlier...it's Sora!"  
  
     "Sora...?"  
  
     "Sora Takenouchi!!!"  
  
     "SORA!!!!"  
  
     "TAI!!!!!"  
  
And now we interrupt this moment for the following message...hehehehe ::evil grin::  
  
~to be continued~  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Twist of Fate: Part Two

disclaimer: look, i know this'll come as a big shock and all so brace yourselves guys...i don't own digimon ::everybody faints::  
  
okay i know you guys are going to kill me. this is already a pretty short fic, and guess what? it's a cliffhanger again!! oh joy!!! ::dodges a tomato:: er...so review it, okay? the more reviews, the faster i grind out part three!! ::tries to avoid a rotten egg:: um...g2g!  
  
     'Sora...' Tai thought in a daze. 'I can't believe it's her...'  
  
     This was the girl that he had used to sing about. Dream about. This was the girl he used to love...  
  
     Sora grinned happily. "It's been a long time, Tai. I can't believe that you're actually...well, you know...here."  
       
     "Same goes for me."  
  
     "How long has it been anyway? Five, six years?"  
  
     Tai looked away, his ego slightly hurt. How could anyone, especially Sora, have forgotten so long about him..._him?_...  
  
     "Sora. It's been nine years."  
  
     "Nine? Are you sure? That's an awful long time. I know I haven't been out of touch for that long..."  
  
     "Well face it sweetie. You have," Tai said coldly.  
  
     "Tai? I thought you would be, like, oh I dunno, happy to see me? Obviously I was wrong. Um, waiter? Check please."  
  
     Tai remained silent, then sighed. He plastered on a fake grin.  
  
     "Okay Sora. You're right. Uh...it was just the hangover talking...from last night..."  
  
     "Huh?"  
  
     "Okay you know about Matt and his band right? I mean, dude, he was singing way before you even thought about leaving..."  
  
     Sora nodded yes.  
  
     "Well they were playing at this ritzy club downtown, and they got free tickets, and of course I got one..." Tai couldn't resist a smile.  
  
     "Of course."  
  
     "So we went in, I danced a little, and then I met..you."  
  
     Sora laughed. "What a romantic place to meet, huh?"  
  
     "What do you mean, 'romantic'?"  
  
     "Come on, Tai. I mean, you know we used to date. Our whole school knew we used to date. Heck, even my mom knew we used to date. And that's really...something."  
  
     "Yeah. That was."  
  
     Sora laughed again. "Poor Chris-san was chased down the street with a watering hose. I mean, my mom...I love her, Tai, I really do...but she is definitely a raving lunatic when it comes to, well, certain things..."  
  
     "So Sora."  
  
     "Yeah?"  
  
     "What happened between us?"  
  
     Sora stopped smiling, and a tiny line formed between her eyebrows. "You know what happened. I mean, why even bring it up?"  
  
     "Because I want to know."  
  
     "Please. You _do_ know."  
  
     "No Sora. I don't."  
  
     Sora sighed and fiddled with her napkin. The waiter watched them curiously as he slapped the check on the small table.  
  
     "Okay Tai. I went to college. End of story."  
  
     "We planned our lives together Sora. Why'd you back out? And why didn't you ever write back?"  
  
     "Because...I had a lot of homework?"  
  
     "Why are you asking me."  
  
     Sora coughed. "I mean, because I had a lot of homework."  
  
     "Ha ha. You were always SUCH a good liar Sora," Tai said sarcastically. "Come on. You had a lot of other things too, huh Sora? Like boyfriends..."  
  
     "Why would you care? We were hundreds of miles apart...it was not like it would have made any difference..."  
  
     Tai sighed. "You were cheating on me."  
  
     "WHAT?"  
  
     Tai rubbed his ear, then repeated bravely, "You were cheating. On me."  
  
     Sora put her hand on Tai's forehead. "Are you feeling okay? Hallucinating maybe? I think this drink is spiked..." Sora replied, staring at Tai's small glass of wine.  
  
     "We never officially broke up, you know." He swore a little beneath his breath, then continued. "I mean, at least not before college. And plus, I still...loved you."  
  
     "But not anymore, right?"  
  
     Tai sighed. "Not anymore, Sora."  
  
     Sora breathed a sigh of relief. "Tai, I'm really sorry. I mean, about all the pain I've caused you and stuff. I didn't know..and plus," she added, her expression suddenly changing, "I had my reasons."  
  
     "Oh really?"  
  
     Sora tried to ignore the sarcasm in Tai's voice and smiled as cheerfully as she could. "So...friends?" She extended a her hand over the table.   
  
     Tai glanced warily at her hand. Then touched it ever so slightly with his fingers.   
  
     "Friends."  
  
     "Good. I'm glad. Cuz we've got nine years to catch up on and only half an hour to do it."  
  
     Tai stared at her in disbelief. "You want to catch up on all that's been happening for the last DECADE??" He cursed himself for sounding so stupid.  
  
     "Why not? You go first. Who do you hang out with, who's your girlfriend, blah, blah, blah. You know, the usual yadda yadda."  
  
     "I don't really hang out with anyone. I have a job. Don't have a girlfriend...yet," Tai added. "Sometimes I see Matt. And Kari. But no one else."  
  
     "No one else?"  
  
     Tai nodded. "So what about you?"  
  
     Sora suddenly blushed. Tai looked at her in disbelief. 'No way,' he thought. 'Maybe...maybe...she still loves me...'  
  
     But her next words were about to change the course of his entire life.  
  
     "Tai. Guess what. I'm engaged..."  
  
~to be continued~              sighs. oh the suspense...  
  



	3. Twist of Fate: Part Three

okay. this is probably the worst part of the fic. it's not too boring, just too darn sappy. just a reminder to all you taiora fanatics (it's okay...i'm one too and p-r-o-u-d of it) who have jumped erroneously to the conclusion that i'm trying to break up sora and tai: 1) i said this was a taiora in the summary, 2) there are three (lemme check...six minus three...yes, that's three) more parts of this fic to go. So just hang in there. It speeds up a lot in chapter four. And the chapters get WAY longer. Maybe I'll even have chapter four up tonight. I dunno. Check anyways. :)  
oh, and reviews are nice. :) :)  
  
Sora slowly walked to her apartment. She checked her watch. It was one a.m. The woman sighed, then opened her door. She pressed her aching head against the cool wood once it had snapped itself back shut. 'Oh Tai...' she thought.  
  
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Tai glanced at his alarm clock. 1:23 a.m. He couldn't sleep. He had to call Sora. He must have been dreaming...she would never be engaged...at least...not to just anyone...only him...  
  
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The phone rang. Sora slowly clicked her television set off before tentatively picking it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Sora? It's Tai."  
  
"Oh. Tai. Hey." Sora said without emotion. "It's pretty late."  
  
"Yeah, but I figured you wouldn't be asleep."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Uh..yeah...anyway, I just really needed to talk to you..."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"You're not like really engaged, right?"  
  
"Tai. You heard me in the restaurant. I'm engaged."  
  
"_To who?_"  
  
"To a very rich CEO of a VERY successful company. But then again," and here Sora smiled sardonically, "you could probably care less."  
  
Tai glared at the phone, at a complete loss for words. Finally he managed to give a small wheeze. "Sora? You've really...changed."  
  
"Huh? How so?"  
  
"You used to be so nice, and so...I dunno...loving. And that was why I loved you. You weren't superficial. You were just...you. And now you're totally different."   
  
"So basically what you're saying is that--just because I'm marrying a guy with more money that Bill Gates (a/n: heck, he's not even that rich anymore)--I'm superficial?"  
  
(a/n: i know you guys are tired of me already ::frowns:: but i'm just doing this to tell you people that yes, this is totally out of character but i was trying to write this and study bio at the same time ::dodges some stale popcorn::)  
  
"Sora..."  
  
"Okay. I know what you're thinking. And believe me, I'm not shallow. I care about him, Tai. But like, to tell you the truth, I don't love him. I don't think I ever could..." Sora trailed off and shuddered at the thought of actually loving her fiancee...impossible...he was just so much...(Sora at this point tried to stop herself from thinking further, but failed miserably)...so much unlike Tai...  
  
Suddenly something inside Tai snapped. "SORA!" he screamed into the phone. "You are such a (a/n: um...think witch with a b). Do you even know how much I cared about you? Do you know how many nights I stayed up just thinking about you, about your smile, heck, even your stupid hat? Do you even know why I started clubbing, Sora? Do you know why I made myself dance with women who smelled and drank even though it made me sick? DO YOU? It's because I loved you, Sora. And I missed you. And I needed a way to...to..cover up my pain. You will never, ever, find a man who will love you as much as I did. And now you're just...throwing yourself away on some 50-year-old millionaire who'll probably just have an affair anyway? I don't understand you Sora. I never have, never will. But I used to think that someday..." Tai choked a little.  
  
Sora was silent, then whispered, "Tai, you didn't let me finish. I said I didn't love him, but I...I..care about him. I can't see his life go to waste. He needs a woman in his life, Tai. And the woman he picked was me...I have a responsibility. And you do to. To...respect my decisions. And plus, you're tired. Go to sleep. Call me in the morning..."  
  
Tai didn't say anything.  
  
"Tai...about what you said...I loved you too. But we're older now...and puppy love never lasts..."  
  
Click.   
  
Tai had hung up.  
  
~to be continued~  
will tai ever forgive sora? will sora ever forgive tai? will they ever get back together? does the caffeinated author even know what she's trying to write? ::audience wonders whether the writer is on crack::  
p.s. chapter four is up. i know, i know. this chapter was corny. but please, you guys, don't get scared away. i eventually regained some of my brain cells after the caffeine kicked in and chapter four didn't turn out all that bad. (i think. :)  
  



	4. Twist of Fate: Part Four

disclaimer: i don't own digimon. i mean, do you guys ever get tired of reading these things? just wondering...  
  
okay so here's the chapter that i so shamelessly advertised in chapter three. um...enjoy!  
  
Tai stared out at the rain. Six months since he had talked to Sora...  
  
"I don't love her." He swore as he accidently cut himself with a can opener. "I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't..."  
  
The soup can conveniently exploded.  
  
After muttering a few choice four-letter words, Tai bent down and tried to mop up the oily mess. He eventually gave up the effort after noticing that more chicken noodle ended up in his hair than his napkins. 'Why even try...' he thought tiredly. 'Why even think...'  
  
But his brain refused to listen. Everything hissed her name. The rain, the heater, the burning omelette on his stove...  
  
"_Sora_..."  
  
Tai's brain screamed in agony.  
  
"I need a vacation," growled Tai.  
  
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The next Monday morning found Tai in Paris. Yes, Paris. He sat by himself, alone, unnoticed, in a shadowy corner of the fancy resort.  
  
'Dad would kill me if he knew how much I spent,' Tai thought with half a grin. The grin disappeared when he saw a girl leap into the hotel's sixty-foot swimming pool, followed by a guy who looked like he seriously needed a date with Jenny Craig. (I'm not kidding. This guy was really fat.) His trunks, which looked remarkably like an XXXL, were scrunched up around his legs and obviously too tight. His flabby stomach hung over his waist, and his several chins jiggled with excitement as he tried to jump in the pool without creating a tsunami. Tai's sunglasses fell off and he blinked once. Then twice. That wasn't just any girl...that was Sora. And that...that..._thing_..was the "man" Sora was going to marry...  
  
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Tai watched Sora again that evening. She looked especially stunning that night. A black bikini neatly complemented her figure, and she looked so...so _inviting_...with her hair slicked back and her face shining with joy...  
'It's probably just the water from the pool,' Tai thought hopefully. He peered closer. He was wrong. She _was_ happy...happy without him. Happy with the "thing" she chose to marry. Tai's eyes closed. 'You can't think this way, Kamiya. You hate her. She ruined your life. You hate her, Tai.'  
  
But he didn't--or couldn't--believe...  
  
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Tai saw Sora three days later, sitting by herself in a little cafe. Oh...what he would give just to slap her across the face...  
  
"Hey babe," he called out bitterly as he passed by her table. She raised her crimson eyes in surprise. "Tai! What the _heck_ are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh...okay...so now I can't even be in the same _room_ as you, huh Sora? What..." Tai wasn't allowed to finish his sentence. Sora yanked him beneath her table.  
  
"He's coming," he heard her whisper angrily at the tablecloth. "Don't you dare make a sound, Tai, or else I'm going to...Why, hello, sweetie. _Somebody_ sure looks handsome this morning."  
  
'Well that "somebody" isn't him,' Tai thought in disgust.  
  
"Sora, darling, you know I can't live without you. Promise me that you'll never leave my side, ever..."  
  
"Shurakin, honey, be patient. You'll get my vows soon enough..." Tai heard her give a small laugh. "Only six more days left until our wedding, dear. And oh, did I mention how much I love this place? It must have cost you a fortune, Shurakin-san."  
  
"Harumph...well...anything for you, Sora, my love..."  
  
Tai found it increasingly difficult to listen in on their conversation. First of all, they were starting to whisper. And secondly...Sora's legs were right in front of his face. He reluctantly tore his eyes away and tried frantically to fix his stare on something else. Like that piece of gum stuck right above a certain somebody's (a/n: *cough cough* Sora's fiancee *coughs some more*) right leg. It would be horrible if some of that stuff got stuck on somebody's brand-new Armani pants...  
  
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Sora's kiss was interrupted by a shrill scream. "Aaiyeee!!!" cried her fiancee in dismay.   
  
Sora jumped three inches out of her seat in alarm. "What is it, dear?"  
  
"My pants...the pants I got for Christmas...from my mum...they're ruined..." he sobbed. "What's she going to say? What's she going to _do_???"  
  
"There, there," Sora hastily replied.  
  
Tai smirked beneath the table.  
  
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10:00 p.m. found Sora peering closely at the numbers on a small hotel directory. "301, 286...wha?" She frowned and turned the map she held upside down. "Oh...and here's 309," she finished grimly. She got in an elevator and pushed level 3.  
  
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Tai was watching a sappy black-and-white movie. Eight empty bottles were heaped haphazardly on the couch, and it looked very much like he was starting on his ninth. Okay, Tai wasn't an alcoholic. But he drank when he was depressed. And he was _very_ depressed...  
  
A loud knock shattered Tai's thoughts. He cursed confusedly as he stumbled to the door. "Stupid maid...such a total..." He wasn't allowed to finish. Standing in the doorway was the girl that had been on his mind for the last seventy-two hours. Wait. Forget the last seventy-two hours. For the last twenty years.  
  
"Hey Sora...whassup?"  
  
Sora choked incoherently. "You are a total...total...bastard. I mean, I'm sorry for leaving you and all but you've got to realize someday, Tai, that the world won't flip itself upside down just because you say so. Or think it should. Or whatever. So Tai...please...why can't you just leave me alone?" Her last words came out so soft that Tai could barely hear her speak...  
  
Now Tai never meant for the next few words to come out. Ever. But he blamed it on the beer. (Or so he reasoned with himself a few hours later.) Because what he said next was so entirely unpredictable that...never mind. Back to the story.  
  
"Because, Sora," he replied, in a strangely sane voice. "I love you..."  
  
~to be continued~  
eek!! a cliffhanger...again. sorry people...(hint: chapter five will be up pretty soon, and for once, the inevitable will not happen. sora will not kiss tai's feet and say that she loves him back. ohhh no. so what does happen anyway? uh...just keep reading :)  
  
  
  



	5. Twist of Fate: Part Five

a/n: i know there's been a heck lot of sorato rumors out there, but don't believe everything you hear, kiddies. according to funkiechick (who is the highest authority on digimon that i've ever known and also the writer of the world's greatest taiora fics), japan may be going for sorato, but the u.s. is dead set on taiora. tai's voice actor said so. something about "developing the growing romance of tai and sora." so relax. taiora still lives. and it rules.  
  
just one more part left. ::wipes forehead:: maybe i'll get it up by tomorrow...::faints::  
  
     Tai peeked at her from between his fingers.  
  
     Sora's face was calm. Blank. Emotionless.  
  
     "So..." he faltered.  
  
     "So?" she asked.  
  
     Tai silently clenched and unclenched his hands. Why was she making this so difficult? "Sora," he finally said, then stopped. And then pretended to be fascinated with the carpet.   
  
     Sora sighed. "I guess I should leave..."  
  
     "No...not yet." Tai finally found his voice. "Look, remember that rose I gave you before I left for college?"  
  
     Sora shook her head. No.  
  
     'Why's she doing this to me?' Tai thought in despair. 'Doesn't she remember? Or...maybe...she just wants to hurt me by saying that she forgot..." Tai's thoughts trailed off. "Okay Sora. So maybe you hate me. I don't care. At least not right now. But that rose...I told you to keep it forever, remember? That it was a secret. That I would explain it to you during spring break..."  
  
     Sora shook her head again.  
  
     Tai quietly turned around and shut the door. But he couldn't help turning back his head and looking at the silent, impassive, beautiful woman still standing in the hall. For probably the very last time in his life.  
  
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     Sora sprinted back downstairs and tackled down her door. She raced back into her bedroom, spotted her cabinet, and puled out one of its drawers. Various articles of underwear and a few rolls of toilet paper flew out and hit her hard on the head. She didn't seem to mind. 'Where is it?' she thought wildly as she pawed through her clothes. 'I _know_ it's in here...' And suddenly, there it was.  
  
    "It" being a little wooden box.  
  
    Sora sighed in relief. She gingerly picked it up and gently pulled out a few of her greatest treasures...a photo...a card...a string of tarnished pearls...and at the very bottom...a rose. Flawlessly preserved and dried to perfection. She closed her eyes and remembered how she had been so insulted when Tai had pressed it into her hand...i mean, come on, it was the last time she was going to see Tai for practically six months. And he had given her a last minute present. Again. And he had lied about it too, blabbing away about a secret and spring break and only heaven knows what else. Sora hadn't really listened. She had stood and looked at the rose with disbelief, and had only stopped to give Tai a mechanical kiss before he boarded his flight. She had considered dropping the rose in the trash, but eventually stopped herself with a _tremendous_ amount of restraint. After all, it _was_ from Tai, wasn't it? 'Argh,' Sora remembered growling. And she saw herself, a younger self, hurrying back home...  
  
     Sora opened her eyes again. That was the day she had forced herself to stop loving Tai. And she had succeeded, at exactly 11:59 p.m. It was easier the next day, and even easier the next...then that pizza delivery guy just _had_ to stop by her house...Sora wrinkled her eyebrows. He had just stopped to ask by directions...that was what he said...but they had ended up sharing a lot more than a Thomas Guide...  
  
     A small clink brought Sora back to the present. She looked down at her lap and gave a start of disbelief. Her hands had been busy, even while her mind had wandered off to God knows where. There was nothing left of the rose now except for a few shredded petals scattered aimlessly across the floor. "Oh my gosh!!" cried Sora. "What have I done?" She hadn't known why she had preserved the rose...but it wasn't hard, her mom being a florist and all. She had been glad later on...Tai had been, and as much as she hated to admit this, the only man she had been able to understand, been able to trust, been able to love. The rose was...well...a sort of reminder of how things used to be. And sometimes, just sometimes, she would wish wistfully that time was reversable, that she could go back...  
  
     But it wasn't. And she couldn't. And she accepted the fact remarkably well, considering her present circumstances. Young, successful, and engaged to one of the most powerful men in Japan. Sora sighed, tucked away a stray strand of hair, and started to pick up the scarlet pieces strewn haphazardly across the floor.  
  
     Her finger touched something cold. Sora looked down at her hand and gasped. A ring lay glittering in her hand, studded with diamonds and with a yellowed inscription attached to its side..."Tai and Sora. 'Til death do us part." An engagement ring.  
  
     'It must have been hidden inside the rose,' Sora thought bitterly. 'Why didn't he tell me sooner?'  
  
     And as she spoke, another glittering jewel was added silently to the ring. A single, beautiful, perfect tear.  
  
*******************************************  
  
     "Um, hi, this is Tai Kamiya. From Room 309. Yes. Uh, could I please have the room number for...uh..." He glanced at the business card Sora had accidently dropped from her purse. "Mr. Shurakin Osamu, please. It's an emergency."   
  
     The attendant from the front desk sighed in frustration. "We aren't allowed to release phone numbers, sir," she patiently sighed for the thirty-sixth time. "By the way, wasn't it you who called all the other times as well, sir?"  
  
     "Uh...how'd you know?" Tai replied rather lamely.  
  
     "You're probably the only male here that's below 42," the woman laughed. "How'd you manage to afford this place, anyway?"  
  
     "That's my problem, not yours, lady," Tai had tried to joke. (How _did_ Tai get the money? Err...I'll explain later)  
  
     "Well, we usually don't do this, but..."  
  
     "Please?"  
  
     "Room 117. And if anyone asks, it wasn't me."  
  
     Click.  
  
*******************************************  
  
     Tai, dressed in a smart service suit he had borrowed from a waiter downstairs, ("For a hundred and ten dollars an hour," Tai muttered bitterly) raced down to 117 and gave the massive door a tentative rap. The one hundreds were the rooms where all the big mucky mucks stayed. Each room was bigger than Tai's own house...the door opened.  
Mr. Shurakin Osamu himself stood blinking down at Tai.  
  
     "Uh...hi there. Room service."  
  
     "Oh...uh...did I call you? Let me go ask my secretary...she's my fiancee too, you know." Mr. Osamu positively beamed.   
  
     "Oh...uh...great!!" Tai replied. 'Ugh,' he thought sadly. 'What a horrible way to waste my good looks. Being a service-boy to a guy with no hair. Gross.' Tai nervously touched his own thick head of hair. Just to make sure it was still there after seeing Mr. Osamu without a toupee.  
  
     Then what Osamu said finally clicked. 'Uh, not so great,' Tai thought in a panic. "I mean, um, of course you didn't call. Your fiancee thought you might like a extra large platter of our..uh...triple fudge sundae with sixteen different toppings, including--but not limited to--bananas, nuts, and...uh...lots of fudge," Tai finished hurriedly.  
  
     "Oh, well, of course. Where is it?"  
  
     "Oh...I just..um...wanted to check if you wanted some first. Cuz it takes us more than an hour to layer all that stuff on. You know. The sprinkles, the cream, the sugar. Oh...and the fudge."  
  
     Tai dodged deftly to avoid a small waterfall. Which was, of course, coming from Osamu's gaping maw.  
  
    "Oh, yes I see," Osamu finally said after wiping off his mouth with a small silk napkin. "Yes, I do see. Of course. Sora's that kind of person." And he smiled happily.  
  
     Tai considered giving him a kick between the legs.  
  
     "But before you go..." Suddenly Osamu's entire expression changed. "Come in here for a second. Half a second. I need someone to talk to." His expression grew sadder. "Are you engaged, boy?"  
  
     'How ironic,' Tai thought, a slow smile stealing across his face. "No, sir."  
  
     "Oh you lucky..." moaned Shurakin Osamu. Who was, of all people, going to be married to the only one Tai wanted. Needed. Loved.  
  
     "You lucky, lucky, lucky..." Osamu moaned some more.  
  
     Tai finally couldn't stand the suspense.  
  
     "Why am I lucky?" he exploded. Then added redeemingly, "sir?"  
  
     Osamu had glanced up for a few seconds at this outburst.   
  
     "Listen, boy," he had finally said. "I'm about to tell you something I've never told _anyone_. No, not even my psychologist. I am about to married to a girl...very pretty, and very sweet, mind you...who is twenty-three years my junior. Now, and I know you will agree, I should go through with the wedding. She has the kind of guts that will be good for the business." He nodded his head warmly. "That's what my head tells me. Now my heart. That's different." He sighed and wiped his head with a large handkerchief. "I'm in love with someone else. Yes, I know. I'm in love with the CEO of Toilets, Plumbing, and Co." Osamu stopped when he saw Tai's face. "Noooo! She's a woman, you pervert! Oh, yes, all right. I forgive you. Anyway. We used to date in college. Oh, I was a wild young man then, all right," he chuckled. "Yes, and to use the American expression, I was a real _raver_." He chortled at his remarkable sense of humor. "And she called me last night...said that she's been watching me rise in the economic world and her company topple...of course, what was that darling thinking, selling toilet seats...and she wondered if I could possibly give her a monetary boost. I said that I would, but only if she came to see me in person. Now, I am usually a very reasonable, sane, cool-minded man," he wheezed, "but this lady was _astounding_. As-toun-ding, I tell you. She was absolutely beautiful, even though she has...er...gained some weight. And she gave me a kiss before she left. A kiss! And not just a peck, my friend. A _real_ kiss, like the ones you see on soap operas..." Osamu's eyes squeezed shut with pleasure.   
  
     Tai tried not to gag.  
  
     "Well, boy, back to what I was saying. She said that I had awoken her 'passion.' Her passion, I tell you!! I was elated! I was floating on air! But then I remembered..." he stifled a sob. "I remembered that...that...I was engaged!!!" At this point he burst into tears. "You...sniff...can go now...and get me that...sniffle...triple fudge..sniff...sundae..."  
  
     Tai stared in amazement. And then he left.  
  
~to be continued~  
  
hey. i know the ending of this series sounds pretty inevitable. yeah, i know, i said it was a taiora, blah blah blah. but i added a little twist to part six...(hint: the wedding...the one with sora and her fiancee...isn't cancelled. it's still going to happen, people)   
  
oh and about tai and the money problem...um...he won a ticket over the internet, okay? sorry i didn't write a whole chapter on how he filled out his entry form, guys, i really am. but it _just _didn't seem important.


	6. Twist of Fate: Part Six (Finale)

no author's note this time. just straight down to the fic. yippee. (hint: reviews just plain humor me to no end. have three seconds? write a review.)  
  
"Uh, lady? The one at the front desk? Yeah..um...can I get the phone number of Tai Kamiya? Room 309? Yeah thanks. Huh? He couldn't have...no, you're wrong. He wouldn't have checked out...I mean...not without saying goodbye. I know it's not your problem but..."  
  
The phone went dead.  
  
Sora stared, then threw it against the wall.  
  
********************************************  
  
A day before the wedding:  
  
"I just can't believe he's not going to be here for my wedding!" Sora wailed.  
Her hairdresser sighed. "Look, honey, you're not even sure who's going to be in the audience. Maybe he'll there, sweetie. You just don't know it. So," she looked grimly at the bride. "You sure you want to carry through with this?"  
  
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be sure?" Sora replied flatly.  
  
"There's two people in the world you have to trust dear. Your lawyer and your hairdresser. It's a rule of life. You can't trust me, you can't trust anyone." And with that, she gave a smile of satisfaction.  
  
"Mejo, look. I've already told you...it's not a matter of love or anything. It's more along the lines of..." (here Sora gave a pathetic shudder) "responsibility. Oh, I know he's fat and ugly and old and..." Her voice sank down to a whisper.  
  
"It's okay, sweetheart. Just let it all out."  
  
"Sterile."  
  
Mejo gave a start. Sora didn't really blame her. "What?"  
  
"Sterile," mumbled Sora hurriedly. "But hey it's a good thing, right? I mean...you know...all the genetics and stuff...and what's the use of squeezing out a kid that looks like Osamu? Come on, be positive."  
  
"Oh please."  
  
"He needs a woman, Mejo. Look," Sora beamed rapturously, "I've even made a list."  
  
Mejo took the eighteen-foot long list (scary but true) and began to read.  
  
"Uhh...so he's joining Weight Watchers? And taking showers?"  
  
"Only every other day," Sora stammered. "It takes too much work to fit the wheelbarrow inside the tub."  
  
"And he's playing putt-putt golf? And using Rogaine?"  
  
"He sorta needs it."  
  
Mejo sighed. "I hate getting all philosophical on you, kid, but this isn't going to work out. Live life with love, and it's going to be worth living. And sweetie, life without love is no life at all." She smiled happily. "I made that up, you know?"  
  
Sora's face suddenly looked a little tired. "Oh...um..really? That's nice. Yeah...you should really go publish a book..." She faltered a little as she looked down at her hands. One of them wore a large, gold, ruby-encrusted ring. "Only the best for my pumpkin," Shurakin had said. But she wasn't looking at his ring. Oh, no. She was staring at the tiny, sparkling diamond ring that she wore on her left hand. And slowly, almost shyly, she slid it off and put it on her right...  
  
*******************************************  
  
The Wedding Day:  
  
"You're sure you want to go down there."  
  
"Yeah...I guess."  
  
"You're sure you're sure?"  
  
"Mejo, please!"  
  
"Weren't you paying any attention to me yesterday at all?"  
  
"Of course!" She gave her a hug. "You're my best friend."  
  
Mejo grumbled loudly.  
  
"Well, I guess this is it, huh? I'll be Mrs. Shurakin Osamu in an hour and...fifty-three seconds. Heck, I can't wait!!" ('Oh geez. I think I'm overdoing the enthusiasm,' she thought.)  
  
"Good luck, kid."  
  
"Thanks. Um, so uh...how do I look?"  
  
"Fabulous. As always."  
  
"Whoa. That's real funny. Ha ha. Call the ambulance. I think I'm having a spasm."  
  
But she did look kind of nice. Not nice. Stunning. Her wedding dress was simple and sweet. A sleeveless top, and a satin bow around the middle. A soft trim of lace around the edges gave it a delicate, lingerie kind of look. The bottom part of the gown was, in the words of the designer, "50% chiffon, 50% lace, and 100% gorgeous." (a/n: cheesy? yes. but it's some consolation to know that the motto's not mine.)  
  
Suddenly Mejo screamed. "Sora, put that down!"  
  
Sora glanced up, puzzled. She looked down at her hand. "It's a curling iron. So?"  
But it was too late. The unmistakable aroma of burnt hair was permeating the otherwise fragrant air.  
  
"Eek!" Mejo shrieked in horror.  
  
"Heh heh," Sora laughed nervously. "Sorry?"  
  
"Gah, Sora, what am I going to do with you?" And after a process that involved much screaming on Sora's part and much grunting from Mejo, her hair was finally tamed and pulled back in an extremely poor excuse for a bun.  
  
"Oh well," Mejo had concluded sadly. "At least the veil will cover it up."  
  
"OH MY GOSH!!! I FORGOT MY VEIL!!!"  
  
"NOOOOOO!!!!" Mejo had slammed to the floor.  
  
"I can always go out like this though," grinned Sora.  
  
Klunk.  
  
"Wake up! It was just a suggestion!"  
  
*******************************************  
  
Sora walked slowly down the aisle. She had redone her hair (after Mejo was wheeled off to who knows where) and had stuck a few flowers behind her ears. 'It's okay," she mumbled to herself as she stared down at her feet. "You'll be fine..." She was too scared to look at the groom though. Scared that she might run away.  
  
"I have an escape car parked by the back door," Mejo had muttered before the paramedics had towed her off.   
  
'You don't need to use it, don't use it, don't use it, don't use it...'  
  
"Hey Sora."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I thought I'd see you here."  
  
"Tai?" Sora coughed.  
  
Tai laughed. "Yeah, it's me."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Sora managed to croak. "Run away! Hurry! Before Shurakin-san sees you and sits on your head!"  
  
Tai winced. "That sounds painful."  
  
"It is. I've seen him do it to a waiter. Still on life support, last I heard."  
  
"You know, Sora, I'd love to talk. But how 'bout we do it _after _our wedding."  
  
Sora choked. "OUR wedding?"  
  
Tai just smiled and guided her slowly to the altar. The regular wedding stuff passed, blah blah blah. And then it came.  
  
"Do you, Taichi Kamiya, take Sora Takenouchi as your lawfully wedded wife?"  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"And do you, Sora Takenouchi, take Taichi Kamiya as your lawfully wedded husband?"  
  
"I..." Sora stopped.  
  
Tai started to look worried.  
  
Sora stared at his face for a couple of seconds. At his nose, cheeks, eyes...  
  
He was perfect.  
  
"Taichi, I love you," Sora whispered. "And I do." (a/n: but wait...there's more!! tm scary movie. i don't own that either.)  
  
*******************************************  
  
After the Wedding:  
  
"Where's Tai?" asked Sora.  
  
"Well, he's _your_ husband, isn't he?" replied a very red-faced lady, who was obviously more than a little jealous of Sora's good luck.  
  
Sora stopped in front of the Men's Room. 'Well he said he would be using the restroom,' she thought grimly, 'and I haven't seen him for half an hour...so I guess it wouldn't be really wrong if I just open the door...'  
  
"Yipes!"   
  
"Sorry!" cried a retreating Sora. 'I'm going to kill him,' she thought. 'I'm going to kill him...'  
  
*******************************************  
  
Two hours later:  
  
Sora still hadn't found her husband. She sad down sadly on an empty pew. 'So this is what Tai felt when you left him...you cold-hearted jerk. You deserve this...serves you right if you never see him again...'  
  
"Tai!" Sora sobbed. "I'm sorry..."  
  
"Looking for me, babe?"  
  
"Tai!"  
  
He laughed.  
  
"Where were you? You drove me crazy!"  
  
"Just needed some time to think. So..." he smiled seductively.  
  
"So what?"  
  
"Are we just going to stand here? Doing nothing? We're married, aren't we? And that gives us certain rights..."  
  
"Wait...no...stop." Sora pressed a hand with great difficulty on his chest. "Okay. Wait. Hard as it is for me to...uh...stop myself..." Tai's eyes glinted. "And as hard as it is for you," she added, "I really want to know, like, how this all happened. How we got married. I thought that I was marrying Shurakin Osamu..."  
  
"Are you disappointed?"  
  
"Oh no, Tai, no!"  
  
"Well you're missing out on a lot of stuff, sweetie. Hair loss, body odor..." (Sora punched his arm.) "Oh...and his _girlfriend_ too..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah. I know. A lady who sells toilet seats." He laughed. "Who would've guessed?"  
  
"Wait. So how did this...uh...work out?"  
  
"Okay. So I went up to his room a few days ago and pretended I was a waiter or something...I wanted to see the man you were marrying up close, you know...maybe 'accidentally' strangle him if I had to...and then he began coughing up his whole personal life...kinda boring at first, but whatever. So he tells me about some lady he has this 'passion' for and then I realize it isn't you. I wrote him a letter...told him that we had a secret 'passion' too...which was kind of a lie at the time, but I was desperate...and he wrote back and was all like, great, then the wedding's cancelled. But then he chickened out and didn't want to call you, so he told me to break you the news. I called him back and said that we wanted to get married pretty soon and if I could buy off the arrangements for this wedding, blah blah blah. He was in a totally good mood at the time...turns out he took his girlfriend skinny dipping..." (both of them shuddered) "and told me that I could...uh...just have the whole deal...you know...for taking you off his hands. So...yeah...here we are," Tai ended a little nervously.  
  
Sora laughed. "How'd you know what I would say?"  
  
"Easy. I saw the ring on your finger before I left."  
  
"Oh really?" Sora raised an eyebrow. "So you were what? Stalking me?"  
  
"In a way."  
  
Sora grinned. "Aw, how romantic. And I never even knew." Her face grew suddenly serious, and Tai felt something wet fall on his lap.  
  
"Are you crying, Sora?"  
  
"No," she sobbed.  
  
"Poor baby." He hugged her closer and leaned his cheek against her hair. She smelled so good...  
  
"Tai?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You're supposed to kiss me, you idiot."  
  
"Anything you say."  
  
And Tai carefully lifted his wife's head in his hands, looked deep into her eyes, and pulled her close (a/n: i know it's corny, so please don't flame). Their lips were only centimeters apart when...  
  
Tai sneezed. (a/n: sorry.)  
  
"Oh Tai!!" Sora half-wailed, fighting a burning desire to slap him. Hard. She stood up. "Look, I'll find you some Kleenex, okay? Just hold on..."  
  
But she hadn't walked more than three steps before she felt a pair of arms slide sensually across her waist. Sora lifted her head. "Tai, honey? What's..."  
  
She didn't get to finish.  
  
Tai's lips met hers. Sora made an indistinctable noise in her throat, then pressed her lips tighter against his. And tighter. He carefully lifted her in his arms and pressed her gently against the pew...  
  
Sora broke the kiss. Tai's mouth dropped.  
  
"Come on, Sora," he whined.  
  
She grinned. "Hey Mrs. Kamiya!"  
  
"What the...?"  
  
Tai spun around and was blinded by the flash of a camera. "Kari..." he growled.  
  
"Oh!" Tai's mom was in tears. "My little baby boy..._get a room, sweetheart_."  
  
"We made reservations. Room 966. Yusamo Street. Escape car waiting in the back. Go, go, go!!" Kari hissed.  
  
"But the reception..." Sora started.  
  
"Screw the reception! Just _leave_, you two. Tai's been waiting for a really long time..."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Whatever, Tai. Oh, and a little suggestion...don't try keeping your diary in the litter box anymore. It really reeks."  
  
"That's where I left it?"  
  
"Everything from age twelve to nineteen."  
  
"Oh _great_..."  
  
"Don't worry. I haven't told Mom about the bedsheets. Yet."  
  
"Bedsheets? You mean the ones that...mmphmph."  
  
Tai clapped his hand over his mother's mouth.  
  
"Er...Sora honey? I think we should leave." He coughed. "Now."  
  
"Wait...I want to know about the bedsheets..."  
  
"Sora!"  
  
"All right! I'm coming!"  
  
********************************************  
  
Tai woke up and looked at the clock. 1:03 a.m.   
  
"Tai? What is it, honey?"  
  
He smiled. "Nothing. Go back to sleep."  
  
Sora kissed him in reply. "That was fun. We should..uh...do it again some time." (a/n: hey! they're married, right? Ugh...sorry...I suck so bad when it comes to romantic scenes...)  
  
"Yeah." Tai's grin glowed softly in the moonlight.  
  
"It was really weird, though, huh?"  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"No...Tai...I meant...how we met and stuff..."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I read a book once...called Twist of Fate...about these two people who met and fell in love...and one of them was engaged to another person..."  
  
"How ironic."  
  
"I know...weird thing was...the guy she was originally in love with...he hid their engagement ring in a flower too..."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yeah...and Tai...why didn't you tell me before?"  
  
"About the ring?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Because I wanted to see...you know...if you would still love me. Even after we were separated and stuff."  
  
"I had no idea! I'm...I'm sorry, Tai. I know it doesn't make up for everything but still. I really am."  
  
"And I actually believe you."  
  
"Aw. You're sweet." Sora turned herself around. "Good night, honey. See you in the morning."  
  
"You too babe..." Tai planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "Love you."  
  
"Love you too..."  
  
Tai settled back in his blankets. Coincidence, really. How books could be so similar to real life...  
  
err...I really didn't want to get into the whole hotel fiasco but I had to kinda explain the fic's title. ::sighs:: please don't flame just cuz it's corny. and I tried to describe a kissing scene. i really did. but it turned out kinda tacky. ::shudders involuntarily:: so tell me what you think. is the story so horrendous that i should just shake my head and delete it all forever? or should I keep it on the site? ::sighs again:: note to self: never write a series during finals week. ever. ::small whimper:: i'm going to need a week to recuperate...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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